Justice League United
by The King of Soda
Summary: One night, two mysterious boys end up in the DC Universe. Who are they, and what impact will the strangers have on this strange new universe? Rating may change due to mature themes.
1. Unexpected Arrival

Justice League United

CHAPTER 1: Unexpected Arrival

In the dark night skies, a figure flew through the heavens. Was it a bird? Or a plane? Actually, none of that. The high speed made it seem like just a blur, but the red and blue of this blur instantly revealed its identity. Why, it was none other than the renowned Superman, the Earth's most emblematic superhero, as well as the de facto leader of the Justice League, an iconic group of superheroes, all dedicated to fighting evil threats and protecting the planet.

"Superman here, do you read me?" the overgrown boy scout spoke into the hidden communicator strapped to his wrist.

"Affirmative, Superman," the voice on the other end of the line answered back.

"I'm approaching the target site," Superman reported. "It doesn't look like there's any disturbance."

"Stay alert, Superman," the voice advised. "We don't know who or what may be lurking over there."

"I copy, Bruce," Superman said. "I'll keep the line open, just in case."

Superman came upon a patch of forest. Just minutes earlier, the sensors at the League's Watchtower had picked up a massive surge of energy down on the surface below, emanating from the general area Superman was now investigating. The members of the League figured they better check it out; for all they knew it might be a threat to the planet, perhaps one of their old enemies.

Superman descended down through the forest, skimming across treetops, disturbing the local wildlife nestled safely in their branches. Superman touched down in the center of a very small clearing, took a look around, then spoke into his handheld communicator once again.

"I don't see anyone around here," he reported.

"Be careful, Superman," Batman cautioned. "This could all be a trap."

"I agree," Superman said, then spread out to search for... well, he honestly had no clue what he was looking for, but he suspected there was somebody or something here that was responsible for emitting such massive power. He was sure he'd know what he was looking for when he found it. The question is, was it friendly, or was it hostile?

After a few moments of carefully searching around the brush and fallen-down leaves and logs, his eyes fell on a body, lying crumpled at the base of a towering tree. Superman moved closer and held up his wrist again.

"I found something!" he said. "There's someone down here! And, my goodness..."

The person, he could see, was really no more than a young boy, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. He had messy, shaggy black hair that seemed to stick in every direction, as if he'd never properly tamed it. And he looked to be in pretty bad shape, too. The clothes on his upper torso were shredded and torn, and there were several large scrapes and cuts across his body, leaking copious amounts of blood. It was as though someone had beaten this young man to within an inch of his life. Even though this was not the first time Superman had seen such injuries, it was very disconcerting to see someone so young hurt so badly.

"Kal? Kal, what is it? What's the matter?" another voice, this one feminine, spoke from his communicator. Superman recognized it as his teammate on the Justice League, the Amazonian Princess who simply called herself Wonder Woman.

"It's a young male, maybe eighteen years old," Superman replied.

It was then that Superman noticed the second boy, though he appeared to be much younger, around six years old, perhaps ten at the most. The first one had his arms wrapped around the second child protectively, though this younger boy seemed to be in a much better state than the first one, with only a few bruises and cuts and no blood as far as Superman could see. Obviously, whatever had happened to them, the older boy had taken the brunt of it.

"There's another boy, this one much younger," Superman reported back to his teammates. Then he caught sight of something that piqued his interest. "They have tails! Both of them. You know, like monkeys."

"Do you think they are responsible for the energy spike we detected on our sensors?" Batman asked.

"Possibly," Superman said, though he really couldn't see how. "But that's not important right now. They're hurt pretty badly. We need to take them both to a hospital and treat their injuries immediately!"

The first boy, especially, needed immediate care or else he might die. Some of those wounds looked pretty serious, Superman noted.

"Got it," Batman said. "I'm on my way."

Superman knelt down to more closely examine the two boys. He reached down and pulled one of the arms clutching at the younger boy away from him. Hesitantly, Superman put his hand on the little boy's wrist, checking for a pulse. Despite his injuries, it seemed fairly strong. The Man of Steel moved closer to wrap his arms around the little boy and pull him away from the older boy when, out of nowhere, suddenly he felt a shooting pain in his left arm. It was centered near his wrist.

More surprised than hurt, Superman looked down and saw that the older boy was now awake. He was the one who had grabbed his wrist like that. And what a mighty grip he had, too! It was like wrapping a vice around his hand!

_He's very strong_, Superman observed. _Only another superbeing could damage me like this!_

Staring into his onyx-colored eyes, Superman tried to discern what this older boy was thinking.

Then, he spoke.

"Don't... hurt... my... brother," he whispered fiercely, in a voice ragged from the pain. His eyes shot a warning at Superman, promising severe consequences if he even _suspected_ he was going to harm the little boy in his arms — his younger brother, apparently.

Superman spoke to him in a reassuring voice.

"It's okay," he said. "I have no intention of hurting you or your brother. Just calm down, son. Help is on the way."

Slowly, he placed his fingers around and the older boy's hand and gently pulled it off. After a few seconds, the older boy decided to just let him, embarrassment and guilt shining in equal measure in those startlingly bright charcoal-hued eyes.

"Sorry..." the older boy croaked.

"It's fine," Superman assured, even as inside he marveled at the teenage boy's immense strength. _Who _is_ this boy?_ "What's your name, young man?" the Man of Steel inquired, curious as to how somebody could be so strong and they had no knowledge about it.

The older boy coughed, spitting up blood, and Superman reached down in concern, but the teen waved him off.

"Go... Gohan..." the boy whispered. Even that mere action alone seemed to cost him what little reserves of strength he had left, and he could only utter two tiny, final words as his mind drifted back into the peaceful, blissful tendrils of unconsciousness that were slowly reaching out to claim him as their own. "Son... Gohan..." he murmured softly, and then he slumped over, no longer conscious.

Superman laid his arm down next to his body, staring into the haggard face of the boy apparently known as Son Gohan.

"Son Gohan," Superman repeated. _Is he Japanese?_ "Well, Son Gohan, don't you worry. We'll get you and your brother the help you need."

Just then, there was the high-pitched whine of a jet engine, and Superman glanced back to discover a dark, streamlined vehicle with a forward-thrust body and scalloped wings protruding from both sides angling in for a landing. The vehicle was painted so blackly it blended into the surrounding night perfectly, like an unseen shadow. Overall, the jet-like vehicle had a very dark, menacing appearance. Superman didn't react. He knew this vehicle. He'd seen it several times before.

The cockpit hatch opened and from it emerged black shadow from within black shadow, trailing the edges of night around its black cape and darkened cowl as it moved toward Superman and the two boys. This being could barely be seen through the black of night and like the jet, it seemed to somehow absorb the night into itself, as if the being wasn't just a creature of flesh, bone, and blood, but a living extension of the darkest regions of the night and fear itself. A walking shadow, embodiment of all that humanity had evolved to fear and avoid.

The Batman.

"Where are they, Clark?" the Dark Knight asked, wasting no time with the pleasantries as per his style.

Superman nodded to the two boys laid out before him. Without a word, the Caped Crusader walked over and knelt down next to them like Superman was currently doing. Batman took the older boy's wrist in his gauntleted hand, and discovered that his pulse was very weak. Before he could reach for the younger boy's wrist, however, Superman spoke up, causing Batman to pause in place as he glanced at the Man of Steel.

"I already checked," he said. "The younger boy is more or less okay, but the older boy is the one most in danger."

Batman nodded. "I suspected as much."

With that, Batman scooped the younger boy into his arms while Superman grabbed Gohan as gently as he could and took him into his arms as well. He marveled at how utterly _solid_ the boy felt; his arms and torso seemed to be nothing but a mass of muscle. Although he supposed it made sense, considering how easily he hurt him, that he had to have some sort of super strength, to accomplish such a feat.

"We need to get these two to a hospital," Superman said.

Batman shook his head. "No, we can't do that."

"What?" Superman exclaimed. "Why not? This boy will probably die without proper medical attention."

"We don't know _what_ they are," Batman informed him gruffly. "No normal humans have tails, so for all we know, they could be anything from mutants to aliens, and we don't want to turn them over to the authorities without possessing that information. They might just take them and misuse them to further their own goals. Or worse, one of our many enemies could learn about them and try and do the same thing with them."

"I see your point," Superman conceded, "but we can't just let this young man die."

"We'll take them with us back to the Watchtower," Batman said patiently. "There we can treat them and maybe find out _who_ they are and what they're doing here and maybe find out if they know about the huge energy spike we detected."

Superman nodded. As usual, the Dark Knight's logic was flawless.

Once they had the two brothers secured, they contacted their comrades and told them to initialize the transport sequence that would instantaneously teleport them to the Watchtower, and both of them disappeared in a surge of particles.

Little did the two of them fully grasp the _true_ powers of the young people they had decided to help, and how merely their presence in this new world would already affect the destinies of millions of people...

* * *

Well, what do you guys think?

As a side note, I need a beta or this story is quickly going to flounder, preferably someone well versed in the DC 'verse.

Well, that's all. Please review!


	2. Explanations and Revelations

Justice League United

CHAPTER 2: Explanations and Revelations

The renowned duo reappeared within the medical lab of the Justice League's headquarters, the Watchtower. The shelves were filled with beakers of chemicals and medical instruments, all ranging across a broad spectrum, with everything from what one would expect from a medical facility to objects that clearly had otherworldly origins. The facility, split into many levels, also contained beds, examining tables, and machines whose purpose one could only guess at, as well as ones that were more obvious such as heart rate monitors, pulse scanners, ventilators, imagers, and so on.

Batman looked at Superman. "You tend to him, I'll look over this boy."

Superman nodded as he laid the injured teen across an examining table.

Suddenly, three figures entered the med lab. One of them was a woman with long dark hair wearing a skintight jumpsuit in the shape of a one-piece bathing shirt, blue in color on the bottom with white stars over it, red on the top and fitted with a gold chest-piece across her torso, as well as a golden-colored tiara, which was similar in shape to the chest-piece, wrapped around her forehead. The second person was a man, but a man with the weirdest of costumes, which was red in color, with streaks of gold adorned all across the costume in the style and shape of lightning, clearly designed to illustrate speed, gold boots, and a head-concealing red hood that framed the man's face but with two holes cut in the fabric for the man's eyes to see through. The final figure was a second man, who wore a similar red uniform, which cut off near the beginning of his legs in a V pattern, a belt strapped to his waist with gold lines converging on it to meet a four-edged diamond shape, and a pair of white-rimmed black-tinted sunglasses that, when combined with his open chest, wavy black hair, and overall smooth appearance, conspired to make the man look _cool_.

The woman spoke. "Bruce, Kal, what's going on?"

"We found these boys below on the surface," Batman informed the woman. "They may be responsible for the strong power surge that we detected below, or they may know something about it. But first, we must tend to their wounds."

The man with the sunglasses glanced at the boy Superman was observing with the instruments in the med lab.

"He looks pretty beat up," he observed. "What do you think happened to them, Supes?"

Superman shook his head. "I don't know, Eel. Perhaps they were in some sort of battle."

"But then why didn't our sensors detect it?" the man with the lightning suit asked.

"Perhaps the sensors were fooled," Superman theorized. "It wouldn't be the first time it happened."

"Here, let me help," the woman offered, moving over to assist Superman.

Superman glanced gratefully at the woman.

"Thanks, Diana," he said.

After about fifteen minutes, using the alien devices around them in conjunction with the more mundane medical technologies, they were able to stabilize the boys' condition, though the younger boy wasn't that much in danger.

"That should do it," Superman said, stepping back and noticing how much better Gohan looked.

"Now what do we do?" Eel asked his colleague.

Before Superman could answer, the younger boy let out a groan.

"The boy is waking up," Batman informed his teammates.

"Wally, you watch over Gohan," Superman told the lightning-suited man. "If he wakes up, we don't want him to feel as though he's being threatened. I mean the older boy," he clarified when he saw Wally's obvious confusion.

"Right," Wally agreed, and the other team members moved over to the young boy.

The boy's eyelids were fluttering, and after a moment of wriggling around the bed, he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly at all that he was seeing, which turned out to be a very clean-looking white room, with tons of people standing around him in weird costumes, but considering that the boy was wearing an orange martial arts style jumpsuit with a black undershirt that, together with his messy, spiky black-colored hair made him look quite strange himself, the boy barely even noticed it.

"Um, where am I?" the boy wondered.

"You're in a medical facility," Diana told him. "We treated your injuries."

"Do you remember how you got them?" Batman asked, to the point as always.

"Well, I remember me and my Nii-chan were fighting Majin Buu..." Suddenly, the boy gasped. "Nii-chan! Where is he?!"

"You mean your older brother?" Superman inquired curiously.

At the boy's desperate nods, Superman laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, child," he said. "Your brother is okay. We brought you and him here and we managed to treat his wounds."

"Please, can I see him?" the boy begged the team members.

"Sure," Diana said. "He's right over there."

They led the boy over the few meters to the other side of the room, where Gohan was sleeping peacefully on his bed.

"Nii-chan!" the boy exclaimed. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's fine," Diana assured the boy.

"Oh, Nii-chan!" the little boy shouted, leaping onto the bed and hugging the still form of his older brother. "I was so scared... I thought that I was going to lose you. Don't ever leave me, Nii-chan, please..."

Batman cleared his throat. The boy looked over.

"Yes, well, if this little display of emotion is over, we'd like to know more about how you got here," the Dark Knight said, although his tone was considerably softer than how it typically sounded, probably since he was speaking to a child. "What your name is, for example."

"Oh, my name's Son Goten!" the boy chirped cheerfully. "I'm seven years old. Nice to meet you."

With that, he bowed to the assembled Justice League members.

"My, you're quite polite, aren't you?" Diana said, amused.

"Well, Mommy taught me to always be polite to strangers, but I really don't get it sometimes," the innocent little boy said.

"So, Goten, can you explain why you have a tail?" Wally asked him.

"Um... I'm not really supposed to tell you that," Goten told them, wriggling in place sheepishly and sounding embarrassed. "It's a family secret, and Mommy says it could harm us if the wrong people knew about it."

"Well, we saved your life, and the life of your brother, so don't you think we have a right to know?" Diana asked gently.

"I guess you're right," Goten said, perking up. "Okay, my mommy is a human, but our father was an alien, a Saiyan."

"So you're a hybrid," Batman mused, sounding interested. "Okay. Nothing we haven't run into before."

"And how did you get here?" Eel asked, sounding a bit suspicious. "Do you remember that?"

"You mentioned a Majin Buu earlier," Superman observed. "Was he responsible for sending you?"

Goten nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"But we've never even heard of Majin Buu!" Diana objected.

Goten blinked, looking surprised. "What? You haven't heard of Majin Buu before? But he's been terrorizing the Earth for weeks now! Trunks and me were learning how to fuse into Gotenks to try and stop him!"

The Justice League members exchanged looks.

"Not our Earth," Superman pointed out. "We would've heard about it before now."

"Another Earth," Batman mused. "Identical to our own, and yet, at the same time, completely different."

Eel gave Batman a hard look. "You think this boy and his brother are from another universe?"

"It's the only explanation that fits the available facts," Batman replied.

Though the concept of encountering a being that was extra-dimensional in origin was not something new, it was still something that had happened very rarely, even if most of those occurrences throughout recent history had involved the Justice League, and thus this situation had to be managed with utmost care and attention.

"Um, excuse me, but... what are you talking about?" Goten inquired innocently.

"Well, you see, it's like this..." Superman began.

However, at that moment, the heart rate monitors that were connected to Gohan started beeping insistently, alerting them to the fact that he was waking up, and around the same time, the Saiyan hybrid began moving his hands and turning his head as he struggled against the cloud of paralysis that had claimed him on the surface.

"He's waking up!" Diana pointed out.

"Yes, thank you for bringing that to our attention, Diana," Batman told her. "Remove the cardio-vascular stimulators."

The League members began bustling about with their instruments, doing all they could to ensure the older Saiyan wasn't still injured and that he would have a smooth recovery. And then, the teenage boy's eyes flickered open, blinking twice to take in his surroundings, and he sat up very slowly, bringing his hand up to his temple with a sudden groan as he did so.

"Easy, now," Superman said, grabbing hold of the young man's shoulders. "You were pretty badly injured. It was touch and go there for a while, but we were able to treat you, so don't strain yourself."

"Are you okay, Nii-chan?" Goten asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Goten-chan," Gohan said with a reassuring smile. "Just a little disoriented."

"That's great, Nii-chan!" Goten said. "I knew you would!"

Gohan chuckled softly, and then turned to face Superman, taking in his complete appearance, everything from the Man of Steel's red cape to the blue tights, his red boots, to what looked suspiciously like red underwear, and the very prominent S symbol stamped over his chest. The style was colorful and flamboyant, something he believed would look better suited to a member of the Ginyu Force, and yet he sensed this man radiating an aura of kindness and compassion, so he didn't think he was dangerous, but there was no doubt he was a fighter and possibly very strong: The tight design of the costume bulged under the weight of his rippling muscles which would have made Vegeta jealous, showing off the man's broad, well-toned chiseled form.

"So, you weren't a dream after all," Gohan murmured. "Where did you bring me?"

"This is the Watchtower," Batman informed him gruffly. "Our base on the moon."

"But... there is no moon anymore," Gohan said and his eyes narrowed. "Where am I how? How did I get here?"

"We wanted to ask you the same questions," Batman retorted.

"Whoa, calm down, son," Superman interjected, seeing Gohan tense up for another retort. "As far as we've been able to gather from talking with your brother here, we've learned that the both of you came here from another universe, another parallel Earth."

Gohan blinked once as he assimilated this information.

"So... that means my Earth really is gone," Gohan said, and an expression of unfathomable sadness crossed his face as the distraught boy turned his head down. "My sensei, my mother, all my friends... they're gone! They're gone!"

"Oh my," Diana said. "I am so sorry for your loss."

Gohan put his face in his palms and started weeping, for all the slaughtered people of Earth, his friends. Piccolo, his first mentor, the only being to ever truly understand him, so kind, strong, and noble. His mother, always so obsessed with his studies, so smothering, and yet, well-meaning nonetheless, with a gentleness that she showed only for him and his brother, the connection that they had shared as mother and son... all of that gone, destroyed along with the Earth.

"Oh God, it's all my fault!" Gohan sobbed. "Why did I let this happen? Not again... I've failed everyone!"

"But that can't be true, Nii-chan!" Goten protested numbly. "Our mother, Trunks, what about them?"

"All d-d-dead," Gohan whimpered, the tears still running freely down his cheeks.

And then, with a look of utter, mind-numbing grief and shock on Goten's face, the little hybrid began crying too, falling to the ground in a heap as he gave license to vent the horrible pain that was raging in his heart and mind, knowing that everything he had ever known, all he had ever loved and cared for, was nothing more than a pile of ashes.

"Mommy! No, Mommy! No! Trunks! Trunks! No!" he sobbed wildly.

Gohan looked up, blinking as he stared at the crying little boy.

_I'm being selfish_, he thought, mentally kicking himself. _This isn't about me. This is about Goten. My grief can wait till later._

Wiping the tears away from his face, Gohan dropped down off the medical bed and knelt down onto his knees, reaching over and taking the still-mourning child into his big, strong arms. Goten melted into the hug and placed his tiny head on his shoulders, wrapping his small arms around his muscular torso. Gohan slipped his own arms across the little boy's back and held him tightly, murmuring soft whispers into his ear and trying to find _some_ way to console the grief-stricken boy.

"I know how badly it hurts, Goten-chan," Gohan said softly. "J-Just cry. Keep crying. You'll feel a lot better once you're done."

Goten shook his head fiercely in Gohan's chest. "No, I-I won't f-feel better. I-I-I w-won't f-f-feel b-b-better ever again. M-Mommy, Trunks, th-they're b-b-both d-d-dead! I'll n-never be able t-t-to see th-them again..."

As the Justice League gazed upon this heart-wrenching scene unfolding before their eyes the little boy kept crying into his brother's chest as the teen comforted him as best as possible, and eventually, the heartbroken young Saiyan exhausted himself from crying, and fell asleep in the familiar grasp of his brother's strong, protective arms. Gohan sighed wearily and glanced up at the Justice League.

"I'm sorry you have to put up with this," he mumbled. "You didn't ask for it."

"It's okay, young man," Superman assured him. "We understand."

"We still would like to know how you came to this universe, especially if your home was destroyed," Batman insisted.

Gohan sighed again and ran a hand through his thick, messy hair.

"Do you have someplace where I can put Goten?" the hybrid inquired. "And then I'll tell you what I know."

"Sure," Diana said graciously. "We can put him in quarters while he rests."

"Thanks," Gohan said gratefully. "By the way, I don't even know your names yet."

"Oh, I am Wonder Woman," Diana told him.

"I'm Batman," the Dark Knight grunted.

"They call me Superman," the Man of Steel said.

"I'm known as the Flash," Wally put forth.

"Plastic Man," Eel said.

Gohan blinked, and then he smiled. "Are you those your real names or just aliases you go by?"

"Something like that," Batman grumbled. "Can we get on with this?"

"Of course," Diana said. "Follow me, please, Gohan."

Carrying his little brother in his arms, Gohan followed the Justice Leaguers out of the medical lab and out into the base, which they had called "the Watchtower." Gohan drank in all the sights, marveling at everything he was seeing. Some transparent material opened out onto space, showing a broad expanse of gray, dusty fields and an opulent, starry night sky, in which Earth hung suspended in the infinite black of space. Gohan suspected the transparent material was not truly glass, but some kind of see-through metal.

As he moved through the Watchtower, Gohan grew more and more amazed at the level of technology on display, his highly ordered mind always interested in the scientific advancements of other races. Just when he was beginning to wonder where these beings were taking him they reached a plain door which slid open when they stopped near it.

"These are the guest quarters," Wonder Woman said. "There's a bed where you can put your brother."

Gohan hesitated. _Do I really want to leave Goten alone with no one looking after him? These are strange beings_,_ but I sense that beneath it_,_ they have unique powers. What if they tried to harm him in some way?_

Gohan was silent for a few minutes as he considered this, and then ruled it out.

_No_,_ I would sense it if they were bad_, Gohan said. _After all_,_ I saw the good in Piccolo when no one else did_,_ and he's always taught me to try and trust in my own judgment_,_ even when no one else does. Besides_,_ if something happens to Goten_,_ I'll sense it._

His mind now made up, Gohan entered the room, which was very spartan in design, with very few furnishings, just a simple living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom with odd devices Gohan had never seen before. Finding the bed, Gohan gently laid his baby brother on it, then pulled the blankets up to his neck. Gohan wrapped his hands around the blanket with a smile and snuggled up against the fluffy pillows.

"Sleep well, little man," he said affectionately. "We're together in this, you and I."

Steeling himself for the meeting at hand, Gohan sucked in a deep breath, gathered his courage, and left the room.

"Is Goten settling in well?" Superman asked.

"Yeah, he's still asleep," Gohan said. "Now, I believe you wanted me to tell you how we got here?"

"Hold on," Wally said. "There's a better location for us to do this."

Gohan frowned, but nodded. "Okay, take me there."

The Justice League led him through even more of the Watchtower, giving Gohan time to try and prepare himself for what he was going to tell these odd beings who had helped him and his brother. The truth, obviously, but what _was_ the truth? Did he even know? One second, he had been watching Buu prepare an Earth-destroying blast, there was blackness, he had grabbed onto Goten, then... when he had woken up, he and his brother were in this strange place, told that they were in a parallel universe, and beyond that, knew nothing more about what had happened to his home planet. The situation was exasperating, to say the least.

_Is it possible..._ Gohan thought. _The force of Buu's beam_,_ colliding directly with the planet_,_ producing huge amounts of energy_,_ may have opened up a wormhole that tore through the fabric of space and time and sent me and my brother to another_,_ alternate world?_

If this was the case, then he had no idea how he may be sent back home, and even if he could be, what would he find but so much debris where the beautiful, majestic blue skies of his home had once been?

_Besides_,_ the Dragon Balls were destroyed along with the Earth_, the teenage Saiyan thought mournfully. _And for all I know_,_ time passes at a quicker rate in this reality than in my own. I could have been gone for a year_,_ or a hundred years_,_ or a thousand years! The Dragon Balls won't work after one year_,_ at least not for reviving people. We really might be stuck here_,_ in this parallel dimension._

"We're here."

Batman's voice announcing that they were at their destination interrupted the half-Saiyan's thoughts and he noticed a door standing directly in front of them. Before Gohan could say anything, the door slid open, revealing a conference room. At the very center was a large, round table with twelve seats stationed around the edge of it. Across six... no, seven seats as far as Gohan could see were colorless line-art imprints that clearly meant something he couldn't understand, and at the very middle of the table was what seemed to be an official-looking diamond-shaped shield mixed with accentuated edges, with the word "JLA" spilling over the borders.

"This is the Hall of Justice, where we conduct all our important business," Superman explained.

Gohan nodded. "I see."

The League filed into the Hall of Justice, with Gohan following uncertainly, and only until they motioned for him to take a seat did he do so, sitting down on a chair that didn't possess a stylized insignia. Once they had all taken their seats, Batman cleared his throat, and all the Justice League members turned to look at the mysterious being.

"Well, you have the floor," the Dark Knight offered.

"Well, I think I know what happened, and why I'm now in this universe," Gohan began. "You see, where I come from, I am part of an elite team of defenders who protect Earth... that is, our Earth... from evil threats. We call ourselves the Z Warriors."

"Kind of like us," Diana noted.

"Yes, our mission is to fight for truth, justice, and the American way," Superman added.

"Yeah, our mission is somewhat the same," Gohan agreed. "My dad was the leader of the Z Warriors, at least until he died." Gohan shook his head to clear it away from these dark musings. He didn't need to be thinking about his father now. "Anyway, before I came here, there was a horrible battle with an insanely powerful magical being known only as Majin Buu."

"Your brother already told us about that," Eel pointed out.

"Okay, but what he probably didn't tell you is just how strong Majin Buu really was," Gohan added, frowning darkly as the memories began to overwhelm him. "He was the single strongest opponent we've ever faced. We've faced many adversaries, and we've been able to beat evil space warriors, soulless androids, tyrannical overlords, space pirates, and genetically engineered monsters, but Buu was unlike any foe we'd ever fought. Any time we hurt him, he would just regenerate, even if we used ki attacks."

"Ki?" Wally inquired.

"Oh yeah, you probably don't know what ki is," Gohan said, with a mental kick. "Well, ki is sort of like a basic form of life energy, and it's produced by your own body. And like most forms of energy, you can harness and wield it if you learn to tap into it. Everything in the entire universe, at least _my_ universe, generates ki in some way or another, even something as insignificant as a boulder because of all of the tiny microbial lifeforms teeming on its surface. Here, let me show you."

With that, Gohan held up his hands and placed them together, only separated by a couple of feet, and within the space between his hands a tiny form of bluish-white energy appeared, concentrated into a ball, no bigger than a thumb.

The Justice League members learned forward interestedly.

"Amazing," Diana breathed. "That's ki?"

"Yes," Gohan said, and then he felt the need to caution them. "I can sense that you all are powerful beings, but don't be received by its tiny appearance, however. Even this miniscule ki ball can potentially blow up a small continent if I were to unleash it improperly. And, I can even increase the strength of this ball by increasing its size. Here, watch."

And with that, the ball grew in size in his hands, forcing them apart by only several feet, so the orb was now the size of a baseball.

"This ki ball can now destroy the moon we're standing on," Gohan said. "But like all power, it should only be used responsibly."

"It's a form of energy projection, then," Superman said, understanding what Gohan was getting at.

"Exactly," Gohan said, pleased to see that one of them was getting it.

With his demonstration now over, Gohan reduced the ki in his palms to nothing and continued with his dark tale.

"Buu could use ki attacks, too," Gohan explained. "Before I lost consciousness and woke up in your universe, Buu was charging up for a blast strong enough to destroy my Earth. With enough ki, you can rip through the fabric of space and time, and what I suspect happened to us, was that Buu's final attack not only destroyed my own Earth, but opened up a wormhole that sent me and Goten here."

"So your arrival here was merely an accident," Wally clarified.

"Yes," Gohan said. "At least, I think so. I just don't _know_."

The Justice League members all glanced at one another, and then Batman turned to face Gohan.

"Your information was very helpful," the Caped Crusader said. "We shall have to discuss what to do with it now. We promise not to reach any decision without first informing you on what we decided to do."

"You can go back to your quarters," Diana said kindly. "We'll talk more in the morning."

Gohan thanked them politely and bowed to them all before he left, heading back to the quarters he shared with Goten in the Watchtower, wondering just what would become of him and his young brother in this strange, new universe.

_I guess I'll just have to wait and see._

* * *

Many thanks to Lloyd RPGFan for his wonderful beta work on this chapter, for without whom this would not exist in its current form and be anywhere as close to as as good as it is right now. Thanks, man!

I'm probably gonna post power levels next chapter because of something happening in that chapter, which you'll just have to wait for. Anyone's idea on the Justice League's power levels would be very appreciated. For comparison, here's how I envision Gohan's power level after healing from his injuries:

Gohan: 16,000,000*  
Super Saiyan Gohan: 8,000,000,000**  
Super Saiyan 2 Gohan: 80,000,000,000***

* Frieza's power level at his maximum was 12,000,000. Gohan is much stronger than Frieza in base and his power level was 15,000,000 in his home dimension, but being beaten gives him a zenkai boost.

** Super Saiyan is a x 50 increase, but when you fully master the effects, it turns into a x 500 increase.

*** Super Saiyan 2 i increase, but when you fully master the effects, it becomes a x 10 increase.

Also, if anyone wants to give suggestions about how to rewrite the medical scenes to add more detail, please, feel free. I am by no means an expert on treatment for serious injuries, so I can use all the help I can get.

Please review!


	3. The League's Proposal

Justice League United

CHAPTER 3: The League's Proposal

Gohan walked down the hallways and steel corridors of the Watchtower, completely absorbed in his own thoughts as he made his way closer to the quarters he and Goten had been given. He had the feeling that he and his brother were unwanted baggage to the strange Justice League. They had neither wanted him to enter their universe nor did they know what to do with him.

_What's my future gonna be here?_ Gohan thought. _I've failed everybody. Seven years of training_,_ of pushing my body endlessly_,_ becoming a warrior like Dad and not scholar like my mom wanted_,_ and what did it lead to? The total destruction of my home_,_ and everyone I ever cared for. Yamcha_,_ Krillin_,_ Tien_,_ Trunks_,_ even Vegeta... they're all dead_,_ and I failed them all! I just wasn't strong enough! I just wasn't good enough!_

Gohan felt the tears rising slowly in his eyes, threatening to overwhelm him completely now that he was alone and away from the Justice League. He stopped down one of the corridors and put his hand on one of the metal walls, placing the other hand over his eyes to try and master his sudden surge of emotions. The blackness was soothing. Using it as a shield, he could try and pretend that nothing happened, that nothing bad was really going on. The teenaged Saiyan could even shake off the sudden tremors that were even now racing through his body as he resisted assimilating the information into his mind.

_No_,_ I will not cry_, Gohan thought stubbornly. _This isn't about me anyway. This is all about Goten-chan. He... he needs me to be strong for him_,_ and that's exactly what I'm going to do_,_ damn it! H-He can never see me be weak. If he does_,_ I won't be his anchor anymore_,_ I'll just be another weak_,_ emotional boy. I've outgrown that long ago._

His mind made up, Gohan wiped his brow, steeled his nerves, and stood up, strong and confident, heading back towards his quarters. As soon as he'd entered the door the first thing he did was head directly to Goten's room to make sure his brother was sleeping, that he wasn't having any bad dreams, which Gohan was sure he would have during the night.

No, Goten was snuggled tightly against the pillows, a small smile on his face, and it was obvious his earlier grief was all but forgotten in his comfortable slumber. With a soft chuckle, Gohan slipped into the bed with his brother. As soon as he was under the covers, Goten snuggled closer to the comforting familiar scent of his older brother, wrapping his tiny arms around Gohan's big, strong body.

At first, Gohan was a little surprised, then he put his arms around Goten too, and decided that maybe, in this moment, it wasn't so bad to let his guard down and be himself, as long as Goten couldn't see anything.

_Get some sleep_,_ little man_, he thought. _We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow._

With the reassuring presence of his baby brother clutched tightly against him, Gohan found it a lot easier to relax than he really should. Goten was his, something from his own world that had found its way here to this dimension with him, and he could take comfort from that. Just as much as Goten needed him, Gohan needed his brother too.

Within minutes, the room was filled with the sounds of two quiet snores.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Justice, the Justice League members had called in the other core Leaguers, the ones who made the important decisions that affected the entire team: Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter. Plastic Man left, claiming to have other matters to attend to on Earth, wishing all of them luck and asking to know what they decided.

It didn't take long for the meeting to come to order once Eel had gone.

"What do we do with these two beings, these Saiyans?" Superman ventured.

This was something that had been occupying the Man of Steel's attention ever since learning that the two mysterious tailed boys were actually from another universe. What _could_ they do with such strong beings? They were the ones who'd found Gohan and Goten; that made them responsible for the two. Their lives, their very futures, rested in their hands, and it was an enormous responsibility, but Superman had confidence that the League could resolve it like any other crisis they had faced before.

"Can't we find some way to send them back to their own dimension?" Diana asked.

Batman, the technical genius among the group, shook his head to indicate no. "That won't work. I've been analyzing the woods that they emerged from using the Watchtower's sensor network, and I haven't detected anything unusual or out of the ordinary, nothing significant to implicate there ever was any kind of temporal or spatial disruption in that location, or in the region surrounding it. Without something more concrete to help guide us, finding the specific reality they came from will be next to impossible."

"_Could we not just analyze them and try scanning for the quantum reality that matches their specific signature?_" Martian Manhunter said, his deep, telepathic voice ringing loudly and clearly for all around to hear.

"That could work, if we knew the general direction of their home reality," Batman said, sounding highly exasperated. "The multiverse is not some spherical planet, it is truly infinite, and there are countless universes being born and dying within it as we speak. Without knowing the specific area within the fabric of reality that they come from, then even scanning their quantum signatures couldn't help us to track down their original dimension, and even if we could, it could be one merely identical to their home universe, not their home itself. And we have no way of knowing how accurate that would be, anyway. There could be millions, perhaps even _billions_ of universes out there which share their quantum signature, but is not really these boys' home dimension."

"So, it seems we're stuck with two extra-dimensional travelers," Green Lantern noted.

That thought did not sit well with the resident space cop. They knew so little about these two Saiyans and it was highly dangerous to act on any situation without having all the facts first. They were really going to have to be making educated guesses here.

"Yes, so it would seem," Superman said, pensive about the whole thing.

_Should I bring up what happened on the surface?_ Superman wondered. _Or shouldn't I? It could change the whole complexion of this argument. The older boy_,_ Gohan_,_ could be a very formidable adversary indeed._

And then the decision was taken out of his hands.

"What?" Diana asked, who had noticed Superman's odd mood. "Is something wrong, Kal?"

Superman decided the others should have the full facts. He owed them all that much.

"Well, while we were down on the planet, when the older boy, Gohan, grabbed me... he hurt me," Superman confessed.

The other Justice League members exchanged surprised looks. Superman was the strongest being on the Justice League. It was truly unknown how high his powers extended, but the team had seen him close black holes with only his fists, tear through earth and mountains like they were tissue paper, and stare face-to-face with otherworldly beings and mythological deities and never even wince. The fact that a teenage boy was able to physically wound Superman was something none of them had anticipated.

"This mere _boy_ hurt you?" Green Lantern said. "_You_, Superman?"

"_He must be extraordinarily strong to be able to inflict such damage on Kal-El_," Martian Manhunter observed.

"Well, it's not all that surprising," Diana said, and then she smirked slyly at Batman. "Did you get a good look at Gohan's body? It was like it was made out of chiseled marble. He may even put you to shame, Kal."

"Yes, and they could very well turn out to be powerful enemies if they wanted to," Batman pointed out, annoyed.

As always, the Caped Crusader's mind was on the logistics, the possible unknowns, each little variable. In this situation, Batman was thinking up the worst case scenario, which turned out to be the boy and his brother teaming up against them, through some undiscovered aspect of their personalities that led them to clash with the League.

But strangely, when Diana had brought up Gohan's well-toned body, the Dark Knight found that his irritation had a baser motivation behind it, something akin to... jealousy? Yes, even though Diana had called it off and decided to remain friends, the crusader for justice still had very strong feelings for the Amazonian princess.

"I know that we have to be careful, Bruce, but I don't think they intend to do us any harm," Diana said, her teasing tone falling away instantly and becoming more earnest. "I think the boys, especially Gohan, are genuinely kind-hearted and curious, but they were a little disoriented. Not surprising, considering all they've been through."

"_Having never met the two_,_ I can only say that any being able to sufficiently wound Kal-El must be incredibly strong_,_ and you can never be too sure of any being_,_ no matter what their appearance_," Martian Manhunter said. "_Time might prove them to be the seemingly valorous beings they appear to be_,_ but the two may also be some sort of alien trickery designed to lure us into a false sense of complacency and then strike when we are at our most vulnerable_,_ either taking us hostages or killing us outright._"

"And what if they're not alien deceivers, but legitimately decent people?" Superman asked. "What do we do then, J'onn?"

The alien had no answer.

"My only concern is for the future of this world," Batman grunted. "This 'Majin Buu's' ki type energy broke through dimensional barriers once already. What if Buu breaks through again? What if he crosses over to this dimension alongside these two and wreaks havoc on our world like so many others have done before? What if he follows the two of them here?"

The thought had been on Batman's mind during the entirety of the meeting with Son Gohan, and it was something which deeply worried him. He had seen the Earth brought low by mad supervillains in the past, bent on power and world conquest, and it was something he did not relish ever looking forward to seeing during his lifetime. Batman would do almost anything to prevent it.

"What are you suggesting?" Superman asked, sounding a bit offended. "We can't just kill them."

"No, but this is something we should consider," the masked vigilante insisted.

"If that happens, we'll deal with the threat, like we always do," Green Lantern said.

"True, but there is something else I've been considering," Batman added, seeing this as an opportunity to voice another concern that had been on his mind. "I have been thinking about what that boy, Gohan, said, about his type of power, ki. If I'm not mistaken, he is referring to the ki certain martial artists in Asia believe they can learn to harness with enough training."

There was silence as the League let the implications of that statement sink in fully.

"This could mean anyone with enough time and resources could potentially learn to harness the deepest secrets of ki," he continued. "I didn't believe it was really possible to train to that level, but if Gohan was honestly able to cause you significant damage, Superman, then he and his brother could bring a revolution with them that is, to be frank, unlike anything our planet has ever encountered before. So I'll ask one more time. What do we do with them? I'm afraid that I am at a loss."

"They have no home, no place to live or support themselves," Diana added sympathetically. "Surely we must help them regain their footing somehow. Secure them with funds, assist them in building a house." She turned to face Batman. "Bruce, you could help set that up. And in the meantime, we hope they merge into normal society like we do in our daily lives."

"That wouldn't change the fact that we have two powerful warriors living here on Earth with the rest of us, ones who could bring an even more powerful enemy with them and could teach the world a power anyone can use," Superman said.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Green Lantern spoke.

"There may be a third solution."

* * *

"Nii-chan, wake up."

The voice intruded upon Gohan's slumber, unwanted and loud. The demi-Saiyan rolled over in bed, clutching at his pillows, and pulling the blankets over his head in the vain hope that it would deter the owner of the voice, even though he knew deep inside it wouldn't matter, just like it didn't matter every morning when the voice's owner did this.

"Nii-chan, please, get up! Nii-chan!" the voice whined, coming dangerously close to breaking the sound barrier.

"Go away," Gohan mumbled.

Now tiny hands began shaking him, rocking Gohan back and forth.

"Wake up! Wake up!" the voice insisted. "Nii-chan, wake up! Wake up! Nii-chan!"

With a pitiful groan, Gohan pulled the blankets down and emerged from under the covers.

"All right, all right, I'm up already, Goten-chan," Gohan said, sitting up in bed.

He started to yawn, but he trailed off when he noticed the place he and his brother had slept in was definitely not _his_ room back home. It was a sparsely furnished domicile with rough edges and gray colors, simple furniture such as a couch, the bed that he was sitting in, a few chairs, a desk, and to top all of this off, a window in the living room opened onto a black starry night sky full of thousands and thousands of tiny, infinitesimal stars, which revealed they were both looking at space.

Gohan blinked. "Um, where are we?"

"I don't know, Nii-chan," Goten admitted. "This isn't home."

And then the memories of the previous night hit him: Babidi, Majin Buu, and the Justice League...

_So it wasn't a dream after all_, Gohan thought. How desperately had Gohan wished it was only a dream, something conjured up by a mind traumatized from his early life with constant failure and suffering...

Gohan looked down at his baby brother.

"What's the last thing you remember, Goten?" he prodded.

Goten thought. "Well, we met those strange people. They called themselves the Justice League. What happened before..."

Goten gasped, his eyes widening as he remembered as well.

"Oh my gosh!" Goten said. "Majin Buu! Our planet! It... it's gone!"

Gohan nodded. "Yes, Goten-chan, I'm afraid that it is."

Goten glanced down at the floor, glum and depressed, and as the seconds passed and he looked like he was going to cry, Gohan knew he HAD to intervene, somehow. _This isn't about me_, the older Son reminded himself for the second time. _This is about Goten. I need to be his source of strength and protection_,_ or else his whole world is going to come crashing down. I've gone through that as a child_,_ and it's something I never wished my little brother would experience._

Gohan knelt down on the floor and clasped his hands on Goten's shoulders. Goten glanced up, startled, and Gohan offered a totally fake but nonetheless comforting smile. He just hoped that it didn't look so fake to his younger brother. He needed Goten to feel reassured, to feel safe now, so Goten wouldn't completely give in to the depression and sadness that was no doubt bursting to overwhelm the emotional young demi-Saiyan.

"Hey, it's okay, Goten-chan," Gohan said softly. "We just gotta keep hope alive in our hearts. We may even return to our home dimension someday, and if we do, you can bet we'll find some way to undo the damage Buu did."

Goten's face brightened.

"Really, Nii-chan?" he asked enthusiastically.

"We'll see," Gohan said, his refusal to lie to Goten even now coloring his actions.

_No_,_ I will NEVER lie to my younger brother_, Gohan thought. _EVER._

Just then, the door made a chiming sound. Gohan glanced up, confused, and then the door chimed again. Realizing that this must be some sort of alert signal to inform whoever was inside the room that somebody wanted to enter, Gohan did the only thing he possibly could do, the only thing that anybody could ever do with such a situation.

"Come in."

The door whooshed open, and Wonder Woman stepped inside.

"Hello," she said with a beautiful smile. "I hope the quarters were to your satisfaction?"

"They were fine, thank you very much," Gohan said politely.

"We need you in the Hall of Justice," Diana said. "We'd like to talk more to you about your future and the future of your brother."

Gohan sighed. _And so it begins._ "Okay."

"Nii-chan, what are they going to do with us?" Goten asked, going up to Goten and hugging his arms around him.

Gohan wrapped an arm around his brother's back and patted it soothingly. He didn't want Goten to feel frightened or worried. It would take some time for him to recover from all that had happened and he couldn't do that if he was afraid of anxious.

"Hey, don't worry, little guy," Gohan said bracingly. "We'll be okay."

Wonder Woman placed her hands on her knees and bent forward to get a closer glance at Goten, who clutched onto Gohan more tightly as he practically buried his face in his shoulders, apparently still scared.

"Your brother is right," Diana assured him. "We have no desire to harm you or your brother. In fact, we have a proposal for you, Gohan, that you might find very interesting. But I've said too much about it. You'll find out when we get there."

Intrigued as to what this proposal was, Gohan obediently followed Wonder Woman out of his quarters, taking little Goten by the hand as he did so and tightening his fingers around his own, a silent gesture letting him know that he was there for him. It took almost no time at all to reach the area Gohan had been last night, the door leading to the Hall of Justice, only before the door opened for them all, Wonder Woman turned back and looked down at Goten.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait out here, Goten," she said. "This meeting is with your brother and us."

"No, uh-huh!" Goten said, shaking his head. "I wanna go with Gohan!"

"It's all right, Goten," Gohan comforted the boy. "I'll be back soon."

Goten glanced up. "Do you promise?"

Gohan reached down and ruffled the younger boy's messy dark hair. Goten smiled. He always loved it when his brother did that. It was the closest the half-Saiyan had known to a fatherly touch throughout his life.

"Hey, you know few things can hurt me," Gohan said. "Just be patient, okay? And if I need your help, I'll raise my power level, okay?"

Goten nodded. "Okay!"

Turning to Diana, Gohan nodded, and the warrior princess led the Saiyan into the Hall of Justice. But there were two additional members there that Gohan hadn't seen the night before. The first was a dark-haired man with a black-colored jumpsuit, green in color on the torso, with similarly-hued green boots, and a green coverlet over his eyes. This man's color was green. The other being looked like an alien, also green in color, only more tannish-green than the other man's bright green. He wore what looked very much like blue underwear, had blue boots, a red X strapped across his chest, a long, flowing blue cape, and he was bald and had pupil-less red eyes.

Diana nodded to indicate the two. "That's Martian Manhunter," she said, pointing to the alien lifeform, "and that's Green Lantern from the Green Lantern Corps. We are all members of the core Justice League. We make the most important choices around here."

Gohan nodded to them both politely. Wonder Woman took her seat along with the others, who began scrutinizing Gohan up and down. It was as if they were secretly watching him, waiting for something to happen that only they knew about. Their staring was creeping him out, to be honest, and he squirmed uncomfortably under their penetrating gaze.

"There are a few more things we need to know before we reach our decision," Superman said.

Gohan took in a deep breath. "Okay, go ahead and ask."

"First off, when you were born?" Batman asked.

_An unusual question_, Gohan thought. _Why should they care what year I was born?_

"Well, I was born on May 18, Age 757," Gohan answered dutifully.

Some of the League members a little looked confused by that.

"I see," Green Lantern said. "And how old are you now?"

"Well, I'm eighteen," Gohan said, still continuing to fulfill their wish of answering questions.

"What are some of the battles you've fought in?" Wally asked.

"Well, I was kidnapped by Raditz when I was four," Gohan said. "Piccolo kidnapped me and began training me for a year so that we could fight the other two Saiyans who were on their way to Earth. When they arrived, I battled Vegeta and Nappa, and the Saibaman they grew after they landed. On Namek, I fought a lot of Frieza's soldiers, as well as Frieza himself. I fought Garlic Jr. and his goons, the Spice Boys, and... well, I never actually fought anyone during the androids' reign of terror, but I did fight Cell after he absorbed them. Then I fought Bojack at the world tournament. And many others, like Frieza's brother, Broly. In fact, both came back again to battle us."

"Did you kill any of them?" Superman asked.

Feeling uncomfortable at the increasingly personal questions, Gohan still plowed on with the answers.

"I guess I never actually killed someone until I fought Cell," Gohan admitted. "I did kill him, but only because he forced me into it and left me with no other choice. I also killed Bojack, but no one else besides that."

"What are you feelings on killing them?" Diana asked.

"I regret that I had to kill them, but I feel there was no other option," Gohan said.

"_What were the circumstances that forced you to end their lives?_" Martian Manhunter asked.

Frowning now slightly, Gohan still answered.

"Cell was a monster," Gohan said. "He only sought to drive fear into people's hearts. He slaughtered thousands by absorbing them with his tail and even more when he was searching for Android Eighteen. He hosted a tournament just so he could make watch as he tried to blow up the Earth and the entire solar system along with it. As for Bojack, he was hurting my friends, and trying to destroy us all. I consider it to be the same circumstances as with Cell, kill or be killed, but I sure as hell didn't enjoy it."

"Do you think you could kill again, if given a choice?" Batman asked.

Gohan hesitated, wondering if he should stop answering.

"Don't worry, Gohan," Wonder Woman reassured him. "I assure you, we have a point to all of this."

Gohan sighed. "Well, I won't kill unless I could help it. I don't like taking lives, and all I want is to have a peaceful life, but if I have to defend the people I care for or innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire, then yes, I'll defend them without a second thought, but I will only kill if my enemies force that, not me. I'm not a monster."

The Justice League seemed heartened by this response.

"_We only have one more question for you_," Martian Manhunter said.

"And what would that be?" Gohan asked, a little sarcastically.

"What is the full extent of your powers and abilities?" Superman inquired.

This Gohan could understand; they were sizing him, trying to discover more about him.

"Well, I can fly, generate ki blasts, and at my strongest I can literally blow up a solar system, but I would _never_ do that to all of the innocent people living in that solar system," Gohan said. "I can concentrate my ki into specialized attack moves. I have super speed, super strength, super endurance, and I can even turn into a Super Saiyan and a Super Saiyan 2, and that increases my strength, speed, and ki output by an order of magnitude each time."

"Super Saiyan?" Batman repeated. "What's that?"

"Super Saiyan is a transformation all those with my blood can undergo," Gohan explained. "It converts you. Your hair color changes, and, most importantly, your strength, speed, hearing, vision, all the basic senses as well as how much ki you can generate all increase with each transformation exponentially. Super Saiyan 2 is the second level of the first Super Saiyan transformation, and it is much more powerful than the first level of Super Saiyan."

"Can you show us?" Wally asked, sounding awed.

Gohan shrugged. Why not. It wasn't like he had anything secret to hide from them. With a controlled yell, Gohan powered up instantly to his fully mastered Super Saiyan form, the transformation coming on smoothly and easily as his hair turned golden-yellow, taking on spikier dimensions than it usually had. A golden aura surrounded Gohan as the force of his power blew outwards and slammed against the Justice League members, who looked to be in total awe of Gohan's power.

DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET.

Gohan could hear his aura humming around him. It felt good. It was always comforting for him to be surrounded by this much of his power, and the increased testosterone boost gave him more confidence than he usually possessed, even though the aggressive effects of the Super Saiyan form had been mastered long ago, during a year spent in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with his dad.

Before he could say anything, however, the door burst open with an explosion of light and Goten came storming in, his hair already spiked up into that of a Super Saiyan and looking grimly ready for combat.

Seeing his brother standing there amidst the other superheroes, without fighting him, the frowned in confusion.

"Nii-chan, what's going on?" he asked. "Why did you go Super Saiyan?"

Gohan could've slapped himself. He'd totally forgotten he'd told Goten he'd raise his power level if he needed him.

"I'm just showing it to the Leaguers," Gohan explained gently. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Goten-chan."

"Oh, all right," Goten said, powering down. "I'll just wait outside then."

And Goten walked back into the hall, leaving Gohan alone again. He turned back to face them.

"As you can see, this is the first Super Saiyan form," Gohan said, as if there was no interruption. "But I can take it one step further."

Holding his arms out before him and placing his legs some distance apart, Gohan reached deep inside himself with a feral cry, the second transformation coming on a little less smoothly this time, although it was still easier to manage than when he had first transformed. His hair spiked up, with a single lock dangling over his forehead, and electric sparks began flashing around him in a vivid dance.

DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET TCH-SZP TCH-SZP DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET DLEET-DLEET TCH-SZP TCH-SZP TCH-SZP.

"This is the next level of Super Saiyan," Gohan said, his voice now ultra-focused. It was a shock to the Justice League, who had seen this boy before as kind, overall nice, but this image of power standing in front of them painted an entirely different picture of Son Gohan, and if there was any doubt that he was a strong being, one that really was capable of hurting Superman, such doubts were dispelled now. "In this state, I am fully capable of destroying an entire solar system, though like I said before, I would never butcher billions of helpless people like that."

"Incredible," Green Lantern breathed.

"I'll say," Diana agreed. "You might even put Kal to shame!"

With a sigh, Gohan lowered his power level as he dropped the transformation, returning to his normal, base state. For a few minutes following Gohan's demonstration, the League was silent, obviously in deep contemplation over something that only they knew about, but as the minutes passed and they made no move to say anything, Gohan decided it was time to get some answers.

"Well, I've answered your questions," he said. "Now maybe you can tell me what you've planned to do with me."

Superman came to first. "Yes. Of course. Forgive us, we just had to be sure before we made our decision, but now we are. Bruce?"

Batman turned a fierce glare on the Man of Steel before looking back toward Gohan. The Caped Crusader cleared his throat.

"Well, our decision might come as a bit of a shock to you, but since you lost your home and have nowhere else to go, and considering just how strong you really are, young man, we've all decided that you are a worthy candidate to apply for the Justice League," Batman explained to the Saiyan, who blinked in surprise at what he was hearing.

"Wait, you want me to join your team?" Gohan said.

"_Yes_," Martian Manhunter said. "_Is this something you cannot do?_"

Gohan shook his head. "No, not really. It's just... why would you do this for me?"

"Because we sympathize with you," Diana said warmly. "It must be traumatizing to your lose home, and be lost and alone in a completely alien universe. Believe it or not, we know exactly what you're going through."

"Well, thanks," Gohan said, feeling overwhelmed by his emotions in that moment. "I'm honored."

"You do understand, you're not part of the Justice League yet," the Dark Knight informed Gohan. "You're a candidate, and that means we have to test you, to ensure you can measure up to the expectations that come with the responsibilities as well as the privileges of being a member of the most prestigious force for justice and stability on the Planet Earth."

Gohan nodded. "Of course. I understand."

"But first, we have to know," Superman said. "Do you accept?"

"I... I don't really know," Gohan said, frowning guiltily. "It... it is my duty to help innocent people, yes, and I do have a lot of strength that can help you to fulfill similar goals, but... I don't know. I just lost my home, after all... and my training didn't exactly do a lot of good there, remember. I'll... I'll have to think about it for a while."

Martian Manhunter nodded. "_A wise policy. You should never rush into anything. Sit down and think it over carefully._"

"In the meantime," Batman added, "we have unlimited funds at our disposal and we can find you and your younger brother a proper place to stay and for you to find a job to support him until all this is settled —"

BOOM!

The Watchtower shuddered under their feet. The League members instantly flew to their feet.

"What's happening?" Gohan inquired.

Diana headed over to the large, panoramic view of the starfield outside, and saw an enormous colossus of a spaceship filling up the screen, easily as large as a small to moderate-sized city, which was a bluish-gray in color, possessing a large, bulbous central section with one smaller section protruding from the front of the ship and four long sections sticking out from both sides, giving it the overall appearance of a turtle. One thing instantly became clear, however — the turtle-like spaceship was firing directly toward _them_, pale beams slicing through the vacuum of space to strike at the Watchtower's energy shields. That could only mean one thing. Wonder Woman turned around to face the rest of the League.

"The Watchtower is under attack!"

* * *

Whew, next chapter's out! Hope you all enjoy!

Just so people don't get confused, no, Gohan doesn't have his Mystic state. I never really liked the Mystic form, so I'm doing away with that. What will take its place, however... well, you're just going to have to see later on.

I figured I might share what I believe Superman's power level to be. Base is 15,000,000, but it can go much, much higher.

Also, I don't appreciate people demanding me to change the power levels. Talking about power levels instead of the actual fic, okay, I will allow that, since it is a form of the fic, but actually telling the author that you want him to change something that YOU personally disagree with... well, that's kinda dickish, to be honest. Please try and refrain from that.

As always, thanks to my wonderful beta, Lloyd RPGFan, for helping me in this endavor.

Okay, I'm done. Please review!


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